Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

Another wonderful read by Gist!  

1894 Texas.... just prior to the oil boom.  Essie Spreckelmeyer is her own woman.. her own definition of woman (which includes riding bicycles, sliding down banisters, hunting snakes and more!) She sees no reason not to live life to its fullest with joy and spontaneity... and so she does. As a result, she reaches the ripe old age of 30 with no husband and no suitor. Being a woman of her own mind, Essie sets out to find her own man. After weighing the pros and cons of every available man in Corsicana, TX, Essie sets her sites on the "best" candidate and sets off to catch him.  The question remains, is he willing to be caught?

While not a full fledged series, there is a sequel to Courting Trouble.... Deep in the Heart of Trouble. another excellent book!

Canary Island Song by Robin Jones Gunn

I fell in love with Gunn's writing when I read my first Sisterchick novel. They are chick lit at it's best! Canary Island Song reads a great deal like a Sisterchick novel and I loved it.  Gunn loves to travel and she takes the reader along with her through her vivid detailed descriptions of place and people... foods.... sounds and even smells.  I have never been to the Canary Islands, but I feel as if I have.  I guess this is a bit of vicarious living!

Canary Island Song appears to center around Carolyn and her life.  As is with most of us, things did not go the way she planned. She has regrets, hurts, doubts and fears.  So she runs away... to the Canary Islands to see her mother. And while there is a great deal of focus on Carolyn and her journeys (she has more than one and all are not physical), this book also focuses on her mother and her daughter... three generations... some of the same struggles... some different... all looking for something and holding to each other.  A beautiful generational picture of womanhood.

Play It Again, SAHM by Meredith Efken

I read the first book in this trilogy last year and was a bit skeptical when I started it. Would I really like a book that was comprised of all emails? Yep!  I would and did!  So I was ready to jump right into book 2 (and yes, I have book 3 waiting in the wings).

I have been on various email loops over the years and am part of a close knit one now.. have been for a number of years. So it truly is easy for me to relate to the closeness and the relationships formed in the virtual world.  Efken has obviously been a part of that world too, because she nails it in her books!

Things continue to move along in the SAHM world.  Ros is back after a short sabbatical and much therapy.  New ladies have joined the group with their unique personalities changing the dynamics of the group a bit.  And ladies who have been there are challenged by new circumstances and a bit of introspection.

But the big news is the retreat! Yep, the SAHM group is getting together to meet! What starts out as a simple get together quickly turns into a big production and looms out of control. But God reins it all in and provides just what is needed for these moms.

Truly a delight to read!  Be sure to read Book 1 first. This is definitely one of those series where order matters!

Barb

Everything's Coming Up Josey by Susan May Warren

This book has been in my to read basket for a while. I am so glad I finally picked it up and read it. I am not a huge fan of the first person voice you find in Chick Lit. It is not always done well, but it is in Josey.

Josey lives in the same small town where she grew up... living a rather plain and boring life in her opinion. Her sister gets married and the boy Josey has loved for ever (at least she thinks she might love him) shows up with a woman who could easily be a model. Could life get any worse!?  What is the purpose.. why is she here? Josey needs answers.

And she finds one in the form of a missionary.  As he speaks at her church, Josey feels certain God is calling her to Russia to teach English.  (He is calling isn't He? Or maybe she just needs to run away and the timing of this offer is perfect.)  So off to Russia she goes!

The reader is given a birds-eye-view (or maybe it would be better to say a Josey-eye-view) of her adventure as she balances learning a new culture, roommate, and love interests (yes, I said Interests.. plural) along with seeking to figure out her relationship with God.

Lots of laughter and fun in this book, as well as a few tears and a lot of soul-searching as Josey seeks to follow God's will and not her own.

And fun note.. there is a sequel, Chill Out Josey.  Looking forward to continuing on this adventure with Josey.

A Dropped Stitches Christmas by Janet Tronstad

This is book 2 in the Dropped Stitches series.  I strongly recommend reading book 1 first.  These are definitely books that build on each other. I have been saving this one for my annual Christmas readathon. As expected, I enjoyed it very much. I am not a huge fan of the first person style you find with Chick Lit, but somehow it works with this series. Even though the majority of the story is told from one person's view point, there are moments when someone else interjects via a journal that all members of the Dropped Stitch Sisters share. (Again, you need to read the 1st book to totally understand the significance of the group and the journal.) 

In book 2, we focus on Carly Winston, the former Rose Queen and cancer survivor. Carly, like most of us, has secrets... one big one she has kept from her "Sisters" and it is weighing her down. Will they understand when she tells them or will it cause a mistrust among them? And what about Randy and their evolving relationship? Will he understand? 

Carly has a lot to learn about being comfortable in your own skin... being open and transparent with those you love... and letting God heal you of your past hurts.

The Perfect Gift by Lenora Worth

A lovely weekend read for a semi-lazy weekend... Goldie Rios has travelled to the small town of Viola, Louisiana to care for her grandmother following surgery.  After a few weeks, she is able to leave her grandmother in order to take a small outing to meet a friend and do some shopping. She does not plan on ending up passed out on a stranger's couch only to be discovered by the man of the house and his 2 sons... a bit like Goldilocks and the three bears.

Rory Branagan is living life one day at a time since his wife's senseless death... just working to keep his family together and on track. The last thing he is looking for is a woman, but it seems that is what he has found... in his home... unexpectedly.

What is God doing here? Throwing two wayward souls together in the most unlikely way.  Add in 2 young boys, a matchmaking grandmother, a skeptical mother, and a lost pup and you have a heart-wrenching and funny adventure to usher in the holidays.

@ HOME for the Holidays by Meredith Efken

Book 2 of the SAHM series and also book 2 in my 2010 Christmas book reading adventure. I just love these books.  I reviewed the first book, SAHM I Am, earlier today.  The story line centers around members of an online e-group and consists of their emails on the list and off... nothing else. I love the characters.... I know them... I am parts of them.  As the title indicates, this is a Christmas tale, although there is a lot more going on than the holidays.  Once again, the reader is privy to the various members lives and all that they are dealing with.  Another fun read from Efken.

SAHM I Am by Meredith Efken

SAHM (Stay-at-Home-Mom) I am is a fictional email group much like many groups found at Yahoogroups and Google and other list servers.  When I first opened this book I had my doubts. It is made up entirely of emails from this group, as well as personal emails between group members.  I wasn't sure I would enjoy a book full of emails. But wow... once I started reading I was hooked!  I have been on email lists and still have one of my own for wives and moms, as well as belonging to a small close knit quilting group, so though the names were different, these women seemed like old friends.

Throughout the book, the reader gets a look into the lives and minds of women from various walks of life, various seasons and backgrounds. We have women with many children... women with few... women dealing with infertility and those with unexpected pregnancies... financial struggles.. parenting difficulties... emotional, physical, and spiritual difficulties and so much more.  And you can relate to them... if you are a wife and/or a mom you will definitely relate!  You have either been through some of the very things they are dealing with or know someone who has.

This is a very real look at real life via the cyber world. Truly a delight to read!

Love Finds You in Miracle Kentucky by Andrew Boeshaar

Boeshaar is a well-known often read Christian Fiction author, so I was not surprised to find her among the Love Finds You In series.  The premise to Miracle is a unique one and very intriguing to me.  The main character, Meg, has been reared by her single mother all over the U.S. traveling from city to city, guy to guy. The book opens with Meg living with someone in Chicago.  But life has taken its toll and Meg is ready for some rest and a new start. She moves to Miracle, Kentucky to live with her grandmother... a grandmother whom she loves but really doesn't know.  She will also be near her father and his second family.. the one that works.  Can Meg make peace with her dad... her mom... herself... and more importantly with God.

My one negative with this book and it happens in other Christian Fiction is the lack of pointing the reader to Jesus. Meg starts going to church and cleans up her life, but there really is no mention of Jesus or of her working through her life and hurts with Him. It is like she is just all fine after she starts hanging out with church folk.

Touching Stars by Emilie Richards

Touching Stars is book 4 in Richards Shenandoah Album series.  (A delightful series!)  Gayle Fortman is a single mom teenage boys.  Her ex is a hot shot journalist seen all over the world reporting the latest crisis or scandal or other big news item.  They bought an inn together when the boys were you, but Eric quickly realized he was not meant to stay in one place... and so he left.  He has been in and out of his boys lives over the years, never really taking time to get to know them. Now he is recovering from a near-death experience in Afghanistan and he needs a place to rest.  Gayle opens her home, the Daughters of the Stars Bed-n-Breakfast to Eric hoping that while he is there he and the boys will make peace and connect.   What she doesn't expect are all the emotions that will resurface with Eric there.  The anger.. hurt.. love.. from days gone by.  Gayle finally realizes what everyone else has known, that she needs to step back in time and deal with her divorce and the feelings that have been pushed down all these years. Then and only then can she move forward with her life and love.

The Quilter's Homecoming by Jennifer Chiaverini

I adore the Elms Creek books! Each one is a gem! I was a bit skeptical when I started The Quilter's Homecoming. It veers away from the main characters and steps back in time to look at Sylvia's cousin Elizabeth and her husband, Henry. Elizabeth and Henry get married and set off to settle on a farm in California. Loaded with excitement, spirit and idealism, they make plans the whole way for their life and their farm.... only to arrive and find that there is no farm... at least not one the one they have purchased. Like many others they have been swindled and find themselves across the continent with no money and too much pride to go home. And so begins the life of secrets... they are determined never to tell their family of their shame. As they work as hired help, their relationship becomes strained and tattered... much like the quilts Elizabeth finds in the abandoned cabin they call home. Having sold her precious wedding quilts, Elizabeth sets out to repair those she has found and to make a home for her and Henry and hopefully one day their children.

Courting the Doctor's Daughter by Janet Dean

This is from the Love Inspired Historical series. I don't recall reading anything by Dean before, so she is a new author to me.

Courting the Doctor's Daughter was a nice read. Nothing hugely deep or life changing, but a wonderful bit of entertainment and escape from the craziness of life. Mary Grave is a widow with three sons and a very skeptical and untrusting spirit. When a peddler comes to town hawking his miracle elixir, Mary goes on the attack... determined to run this charlatan out of town. But Dr. Luke Jacobs isn't so easily bullied. He is on a mission to find his son and nothing or no one is going to interfere with that.

What Luke didn't expect to find was his son and a new life. This is not what he planned and he wants no part of it.... or does he. Mary has plans of her own and she is certain Luke will complicate things and get her off course.

What are two stubborn, lonely, obviously in love people to do?

92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber

I am a big Macomber fan, as I am sure I have stated here before. Her Cedar Cove novels were the first of her works I read and are still favorites. 92 Pacific Boulevard is book 9 in the series (which really needs to be read in order). It was so much fun to go back to Cedar Cove and visit with old friends, get to know some of them a bit better and meet a few new ones. Sheriff Troy Davis is still struggling with his love for Faith Beckwith, but is it too late to make up for his foolish actions? In the meantime, Faith has become the target for some malicious vandalism and is considering leaving Cedar Cove. Maybe it was a mistake to move here in the first place. Olivia Griffin is fighting cancer with grace and the support of her many friends in Cedar Cove. And there are babies on the way.... triplets! Life is never dull in Cedar Cove!

An Unexpected Match by Dana Corbit

A fun Love Inspired Romance about 2 mismatched childhood friends, their mothers misplaced matching making and second chances. Matthew Warren has become a single father and cannot seem to find a nanny to quit his child. Haley Scott came home to be married only to have her fiance' leave her at the altar. What is she to do now. The Warrens and Scotts have been friends all their lives and their mothers have it all planned out. The 3 Scott girls will marry the 3 Scott boys. They even have them paired up. So when Haley steps in the help Matthew out and the attractions start to pop, the mom's are less than please. Matthew goes with Caroline, not Haley! The moms, as well as Matthew and Haley, quickly learn that God has a plan and His plan is always better!

Where Do I Go by Neta Jackson

Where Do I Go is Book 1 of Jackson's new Yada Yada House of Hope Series. I absolutely adored the Yada Yada Prayer Group series and am so happy Jackson decided to write a "spin-off". While the main focus is on a new character who is not part of the prayer group, the story is connected to the Yadas and many of the characters from that series show up in this one. For me, it was a bit like going back to visit some old friends and making new ones also. Gabby Fairbanks has moved to Chicago... away from her children... away from her career... and thrown into a new world and a lifestyle she has no desire to embrace. Determined to make the best of it, Gabby sets out to explore her new home and discovers Lucy, an ill homeless lady. In a gesture of good will she puts Lucy in a cab and sends her to the nearest shelter, Manna House. Her husband, Philip, hopes that is the end of it... but it isn't. Gabby cannot get her thoughts off Lucy and ends up going to the shelter to check on her. She comes home with more than she bargained for... a job opportunity and a tiny spark in her dead faith. As Gabby flourishes, her marriage doesn't... and as her faith grows, her life falls apart.

Warning.. this book has a cliff hanger ending and leaves many questions unanswered. I have no idea how many books are planned for this series, but I do know number 2 is out! And Neta Jackson's husband has written a series that parallels this one... the Yada Yada Brotherhood. I have the first in that series in my to read stack.. Harry Bentley's Second Chance.

This is an excellent read! If you love the Yada Yada series, you must read this one! And if you have not read the Yada series, I encourage you to do so a.s.a.p. They are one of the best series I have read! Not just entertaining, but Faith building!

The Maverick Preacher by Victoria Bylin

This is the first Love Inspired Historical book I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Bylin is also a new author to me. Adie has a lovely home at Swan's Nest with her infant son and the ladies she has taken in. They are a mismatched bunch that create a loving family. Then one night Joshua Blue shows up on Adie's doorstep sick and exhausted and in search of his long lost sister. Despite her "rent to no men" rule, Adie takes Josh in for just the night... that is until one of the ladies sees him and, thinking he is out to harm them, shoots him. As Josh recoups at Swan's Nest, he learns first hand of the threats and violence against them. He determines to stay put and protect Adie and her charges. But how can he continue to look for Emily is he stays and what will become of Adie and her son if he leaves?

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn

Off on another SisterChick adventure! These books are delightful reads filled with fun and laughter and a dose of Faith. In Wooden Shoes, Summer decides she needs to escape the reality of her world a bit and heads off to the Netherlands to meet Noelle, who has been her penpal since 3rd grade. Their adventures seem right up my alley... their good intentions are often met with hilarious mishaps and confusion.. and yet they get through each one with laughter and usually some chocolate! (Chocolate is a running theme in this series!). During their time together, Summer is able to make peace with her present and possible future and Noelle makes peace with her past. It is all about letting go and letting God. Something we all struggle with doing!

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

When I go to the library, usually to pick up a book I have requested, I always peruse the new books shelves and I usually find at 1 or 2 books to add to my stack. Sometimes they are new books by favorite authors and occasionally they are books by an author I don't know but something about the book captures my attention. Such was the case with The Wednesday Sisters. I have never heard of the author nor the book, but the cover caught my eye, the title intrigued me and when I read the synopsis on the back I knew I wanted to meet these ladies.

In The Wednesday Sisters (set in California during the 1960s) is a group of five young mothers who meet at a local park. They start out chit chatting about their children, as young mothers do, and the conversation moves on from there. They eventually turn their talk to books and then to writing and decide to form a writing group... thus the birth of the Wednesday Sisters Writing Club.

In this novel we follow these friends -- Frankie, Linda, Kath, Ally and Brett -- through the various bumps and bruises, highs and lows that life throws at them. Through prejudice, infertility, rejection, adultery, fear... through promotions, acceptance, courage and victory. The ladies grow in knowledge and strength and in their friendship with each other.

One thing I love about this book is that Clayton doesn't sugar coat everything and spin happy ever after fairy tales. We see these women and their lives warts and all. We see them celebrate with each other and we see them disagree and fall apart together. She presents the issues of the time in truthful ways not pressing an agenda and allowing her characters to be real and have real thoughts and reactions to the changing world in which they live.

Most often the books I review are distinctly Christian. The Wednesday Sisters is not. That said, except for 2 scenes, I found nothing offensive in it. There are, however, 2 scenes... both deal with sex... both contain graphic detail and one has a word considered extremely vulgar. I have to say that the word fits the mouth that utters it and the situation, still... some may prefer to not read a book with any language in it.

I truly enjoyed reading The Wednesday Sisters and plan to look for other books by Clayton.

Married in Seattle by Debbie Macomber

Yet another fun, light read from Macomber. Her books are like mini-escapes for me when I need a break from the hecticness of life.

Married is Seattle is another 2 story book.

In First Comes Marriage, Jasmine Hartmann finds herself in a most bizarre situation. Her grandfather has found her a husband.... without her knowledge. According to him, Zach Thomas is her perfect match and when the 2 protests that they do not know each other, must less love each other, Grandfather explains that love will come after marriage. Does Grandfather really know best?

Meg's a single mom with a teenage daughter who thinks it is time for a man around the house. So in Wanted: Perfect Partner, Lindsey places a personal ad for her mom. That alone is bad enough, but then Steve Conlan answers the ad and much to Meg's surprise he is perfect or is he?

Looking for a bit of a mental get away? Grab Married in Seattle and enjoy!

There's Something About Christmas by Debbie Macomber

This was such a fun book to read! Emma is a writer for her local newspaper, but all she writes are ads and obits. Then her boss drops a series of feature articles in her lap. There is a national fruit cake contest and 3 of the 12 finalist are from her state. Emma’s job is to interview each one… sounds easy… but what she doesn’t count on is how she will get to each lady… flying in a small place with Oliver Hamilton, a local pilot who refused to purchase advertising space from Emma. Mix Emma’s animosity towards Oliver and her fear of heights and you’ll find a great deal of laughter between these two fruit cakes!